National Citizen Service and Scouts strike partnership deal
Neil Puffett
Thursday, July 20, 2017
The National Citizen Service and the Scout Association have agreed to form a partnership as part of efforts to boost numbers of young people taking part in the government initiative.
The three-year partnership will see the Scout Association "integrate" the NCS experience within Scouting in order to "support the growth of both organisations and offer new opportunities for social mixing".
The organisations said the deal will also create "unique social action and personal development opportunities for NCS graduates to support" through existing Scout programmes.
"This will help extend the reach of NCS beyond its core programme and support sustainable growth for Scouting," a statement issued by the organisations said.
They added that the move will offer new roles for NCS graduates to support the growth of Scouting in disadvantaged communities, and allow both organisations to test and learn new approaches that will improve outcomes for young people and deliver good value for money.
The NCS first launched in 2011, initially to a few thousand young people, but provision has been expanding each year, with the government setting aside around £1.2bn to deliver NCS up to 2020.
However, NCS participation has struggled to keep pace with targets, and, in February, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport revised its aim to grow NCS participation by 2020/21 from 360,000, which had been in the Cabinet Office's single departmental plan, down to 247,000.
Matt Hyde, chief executive of the Scout Association, said: "NCS and Scouting have a shared aspiration to help young people realise their potential, celebrate difference and develop the life skills to tackle those challenges head on.
"Marrying the scale, reach and 110 years' of experience of Scouting with the resource and innovative delivery of NCS will mean we have an even greater impact on many more young people.
"We hope that NCS graduates will become the Scout volunteers of the future. With some 50,000 young people waiting to join Scouting due to a lack of leaders, there has never been a more pressing need."
Michael Lynas, chief executive of NCS, said: "The partnership between National Citizen Service and The Scout Association is all about two great organisations coming together in the interests of our country's young people.
"This partnership means that young people from all backgrounds will benefit from NCS programmes delivered by the Scouting movement, and NCS graduates can in turn help Scouting to expand its work in some of our most disadvantaged communities."
As part of the arrangement, chief scout Bear Grylls, has been made an NCS patron, alongside 18 other patrons appointed last week.
